NEW DISTURBING ISIS FOOTAGE: Young child in full terror garb seen shooting an AK47

Chilling footage shows unsteady child trying to cope with weight of the gun

A
masked child shown firing an AK47 assault rifle while shouting Islamic
slogans in Syria is just the latest in a long stream of shocking and
disturbing footage emanating form the Islamic State, which has seized
large swatches of land in Iraq and Syria.

The boy, who appears no older than six, is told to fire the weapon by an adult male who then praises him and encourages him to join in religious chanting.

Highlights

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The two short videos, readily viewable on YouTube, were apparently filmed in Ghouta, a rural suburb of the capital Damascus. The clips were uploaded by a user calling themselves Abd Sad.

The boy, who appears no older than six, is told to fire the weapon by an adult male who then praises him and encourages him to join in religious chanting.

The footage shows a masked child firing an AK47 assault rifle while shouting Islamic slogans. It was apparently filmed in Ghouta, a rural suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus.

The authenticity of the clips could not be immediately established. The user has also uploaded a pro-ISIS propaganda video to the Web site as well.

Calling the child a "cub cub," the clips shed a sinister light on Ghouta. A collection of farms on the outskirts of Damascus, Ghouta is nearby where Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad is thought to have carried out a brutal chemical weapons attack last year that left hundreds dead.

The young boy, who appears no older than six-years-old, is instructed to fire the weapon by an adult male who then praises him and encourages him to join in religious chanting.

The young boy appears unsteady on his feet under the weight of the large gun. Each time he fires the weapon he looks close to toppling over thanks to its powerful recoil.

After firing, the young boy turns towards the camera as if looking for approval as an adult man encourages him to chant religious slogans.

The two short videos - apparently filmed in Ghouta, a rural suburb of the capital Damascus - were uploaded to YouTube by an user calling themselves Abd Sad.

ISIS, which rebranded as Islamic State earlier this year after establishing a self-described caliphate in the vast swaths of Syria and Iraq under its control - has long groomed children to take part in jihad.

The practice was the subject of the second episode of VICE's groundbreaking "Islamic State" documentary series, in which very young boys were seen being asked whether they want to be a suicide bomber or a jihadist, and were forced to repeat calls for the murder of Western "infidels."

ISIS has long groomed children to take part in jihad. The practice was the subject of the second episode of VICE's groundbreaking 'Islamic State' documentary series.

In the footage, ISIS' PR man Abu Moussa, who has since been killed, describes how every male child under the age of 15 is forced to attend a "Sharia camp" to be taught the militant group's radical interpretation of Islam.

Pope Francis Prayer Intentions for OCTOBER 2017
Workers and the Unemployed. That all workers may receive respect and protection of their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common good.